if the voice fits
by shyesplease
Summary: Caitlin Snow has a tiny crush on CCPD's forensic scientist and fails at trying to talk to him. Should she give up, or will something magical happen to her to give it another shot? For the SnowbarryWeek17! Prompt: Magic


Caitlin knocked on the door, the results grasped tightly in her hand, biting down on her lower lip as she waited for a response on the other side. _You can do this. You can do this._

"Open!" she heard a muffled voice say.

The young doctor took a needed breath as she opened the door to the forensics lab at the Central City Police Station.

Upon opening the door and stepping forward into the room, the forensic scientist, who she had learned whose name was Barry Allen from their first encounter many months back, turned from his microscope, a wide smile blossoming on his face as he saw her. He stepped away from his work, walking over to her, all unbeknownst to how his simple actions were affecting her heart rate.

"Delivery from STAR Labs?" he said once he was stood right in front of her, his tone suggesting he was trying to joke and be friendly, but her nerves had nerves and her stomach was in knots.

 _I can't do this._

"Y-yes," she let out meekly, robotically handing him the folder with the results she was able to garner from the DNA sample he had provided STAR Labs.

See, Dr. Wells had fostered a partnership with the police department, which allowed for the police to have STAR Labs help on certain cases since the labs had more advanced and capable machines than the CCPD did. Caitlin suspected that Dr. Wells, while a good man, was merely doing this for the good press than out of the goodness of his heart, since he was still trying to make up for the particle accelerator crisis he put the city through a few years back.

Nevertheless, this partnership meant that about once or twice a month, Caitlin would get forensic evidence from Barry Allen to analyze in greater depth. And seeing how Dr. Wells wanted this to be personable, he required for Caitlin to hand-deliver the results each time, which wouldn't have been a problem if Caitlin hadn't developed a tiny crush on the guy and thus was unable to act like a regular, feeling human being around him.

"Great," he said, taking the folder, flipping through it quickly. "Was I right? About the unsub?" he asked, his smile dopey, yet charming and oh so endearing.

"All the results and findings are documented in the report," she merely stated.

His smile faltered, but only for a split second, before he forced out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Right. Um...would you like some coffee or something?" he politely asked, gesturing to the little Keurig machine he had in the corner.

Caitlin cleared her throat, her anxiety reaching a whole new high. She _really_ couldn't do this. "I - I should be getting back," she quietly uttered, one foot already poised to step out.

"Right, right. Of course," he stammered, acting as if what he asked was stupid. He lifted the folder, giving her a grateful smile. "Thank you for this, anyway."

She dipped her head, nervously smiling as she gave a small wave goodbye before hightailing it out of there.

…

She arrived back at the labs, sighing as she slunk back into her seat.

"Sooooo," a bubbly voice rang next to her, "how did it go?"

Caitlin further groaned. "Terrible," she admitted as she buried her face in her hands.

" _What?_ " the blonde let out, surprised. "But you were _so_ ready!"

"All I was, was _so_ cold and _so_ dry, Felicity," she confessed miserably. "What is wrong with me?"

Felicity rubbed Caitlin's back in an effort to comfort her friend. "There's nothing wrong with you," the blonde said adamantly. "You're just out of practice and scared. But you'll get there."

Suddenly there was a knock, startling the two girls. "Dr. Snow?"

Caitlin immediately raised her head out of her hands to look up at who called her name. It was Joe West.

"Detective?" she let out confusingly, standing to meet him by their lab door. "Do you need help with another case already?"

He shook his head with a fond smile. "No, no. I was trying to call out to you while you were at the precinct, but you were going so fast, I couldn't keep up with you," he said with a chuckle, causing Caitlin to blush. "But I wanted to give this to you," he said, handing her an envelope.

Caitlin opened it. Inside was an invitation. "What's this?" she inquired, furrowing her eyebrows, puzzled.

"The department is hosting our annual Police Ball tonight, and we wanted you to come, to thank you for your help," he clarified. "Sorry about the last minute notice, but we do hope that you can still attend, as well as Dr. Wells."

Caitlin opened her mouth to speak. "Oh, well-"

"She'll definitely be there!" Felicity butted in, lips split in a hearty grin as she snatched the invitation from Caitlin's hands.

"Felicity!" Caitlin scolded the woman under her breath before turning back to Detective West with a strained smile. "I - I will try to make it. No promises though."

He smiled, obviously amused by the two. "I hope you do," he said before showing himself out.

Once he was out of sight, Felicity rounded on Caitlin. "You. Are. Going."

Caitlin sighed. "Felicity, I can't go. It starts in a few hours and I don't think I even have a dress," she said with a saddened shrug. "Plus, after what happened today, I should probably just give up. Nothing was meant to happen with Barry."

"Noooooooo!" Felicity bemoaned with a tiny stomp. "Barry is the first guy you've shown interest in since... _Ronnie_ ," she said, her tone softening around Caitlin's, now deceased, fiance Ronnie. "You can do this. You just have to believe you can."

Caitlin let out a staggering breath. "I just can't," she let out brokenly. Maybe this was all a sign that she wasn't meant to have anything good happen to her. First, her father had died after his long fight with Multiple Sclerosis, leaving her estranged with her mother. And then Ronnie, who had been her first beacon of hope, also was taken away from her.

"Caitlin-" the blonde let out, her face contorted with pity.

Caitlin sniffed, fighting back the urge to cry. "Don't worry about me, Felicity. I'll be fine," the bio-engineer tried to reassure her. "Now you go out and have a good date with Oliver. Don't let my doomed love life affect yours," she said with a depreciated laugh.

Felicity felt stuck in the doorway, clearly not comfortable with leaving Caitlin by herself when she wasn't in a good frame of mind. "If you need anything, and I mean _anything_ , you call me, okay? I don't care if it's something as small as needing ice-cream and tissues. Let me know."

The young doctor lightly laughed as she walked over to give her friend a hug. "Thanks," she said gratefully before pulling away. "Now go," she further said, shooing Felicity out of the lab when the blonde wouldn't budge. "I'm a big girl. I can deal."

…

As the hours ticked by, more and more of Caitlin's co-workers filed out of the labs, eventually leaving just her. Many of the lights were turned off - all but a few in her office as she continued to work diligently.

Taking a needed break after a few hours of non-stop working, Caitlin's eyes landed to the invitation. The ball was about to begin, and Barry would most likely be there, no doubt. She could just picture him looking positively handsome in a tux as he chatted with his fellow co-workers. His smile would be bright and welcoming as it always was, even to her, who never was able to provide a fraction of it back to him.

Despite what she told Felicity earlier, about giving up on trying to talk to Barry Allen, there was just something about him that was impressionable, like he had been branded on her mind. And maybe, just maybe, this invitation was a sign that she _should_ be going to the ball.

She quickly shot up from her desk, checking the time. If she left now, she's still have a couple hours left to enjoy the party and, most importantly, find Barry. _I have to have at least something fancy enough to wear_ , she thought to herself as she fled from STAR Labs and into her car, rushing to her way home.

As she reached her apartment, she made a beeline to her closet. She gnawed at her lower lip as she combed through all the dresses she owned, trying to find something that didn't scream "high school principal" but instead said "elegant, stylish and sexy". And then she came across a lovely, black, floor-length gown with a rumpled, asymmetric hem. She smiled as she held the article up, a small glimmer of hope blossoming in her chest. "This will do."

Or at least, it should have.

Upon walking down and out of her apartment building, the revolving front door caught a piece of the fabric on her dress, ripping it. She gasped out in shock as she was pushed outside by an inpatient tenant behind her. She looked down to assess the damage and saw a huge portion of her dress hanging awkwardly off the dress, exposing her midriff. At precisely that moment, a cab then flew by, hitting a leftover rain puddle that propelled water at her, drenching her from head to toe.

Caitlin sputtered, wiping the excess water off her face, knowing it already ruined her makeup and hair. Nothing about her appearance could be fixed in time for the ball.

Not having enough spirit to walk back to her apartment just yet, she sat down on the bench nearby, a sob escaping her throat. Things truly weren't meant to be.

"Oooh, that does not look good," a voice said. "No wonder they sent me."

Caitlin jumped at the sudden voice, frantically cornering herself at the far end of the bench away from the long-haired man that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" she asked in a frenzy.

The man's lips spread out into a wide grin. "Name's Cisco," he said, introducing himself. "And I'm your Fairy Godfather."

"My _what_ now?" Caitlin exasperated, her eyes blown big.

"Your Fairy Godfather," the man reiterated, but this time a little more slowly, as if _that_ was the reason she wasn't grasping the concept.

Caitlin leaned forward to inspect the odd man, searching for signs that he could be high on drugs. "If you're in search of someone to treat you, I can try. I do have a medical degree."

The Cisco man rolled his eyes as he stood up from the bench. He then surveyed his area, making sure no one was present, before levitating off the ground - flying. "Believe me now?" he questioned as he settled back onto the ground.

Caitlin dumbly nodded her head.

"Great!" he enthused. "Now, since you're generally a very good person who has just had a lot unfortunate misfortune in your life, we of the fairy association have taken pity on you and will grant you the means to have the night of your life," he detailed.

The bewilderment on Caitlin's face still had not subsided. "Fairy association? Wait, but I thought for things like this, a Fairy God _mother_ came, not a Fairy God _father_ …?"

Cisco sighed. "That's a common misconception. Some of us are young, some of us are old, some of us are women and some of us are dudes…" he explained. "But regardless, do you want to make this ball or not? My magic can't do much if we miss this par-tay all together," he continued, chuckling at himself.

Caitlin looked down at her ripped and wet gown. "So you can magic me a new dress? Like Cinderella?" she asked, a small smile forming as she thought of it.

Cisco grumbled a string of unpleasantries under his breath. "I usually hate the comparison, but in this case - new dress for a ball - meh, yeah, I guess. Just don't ask me to sing 'bibbidi bobbidi boo'."

The young doctor snorted as she stood. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Alright, here we go," he said before making grand gestures with his arms, swaying them back and forth and then back again.

Caitlin almost thought she had been duped, but suddenly a stream of glittery light swirled around her, leaving her skin feeling like it had been tickled. And before she knew it, her black, torn dress was replaced with a navy, floor-length gown. It was strapless, with tiny studs spaced along the top.

"Much better, huh?" he asked, having a small mirror appear in his hand for her to look at herself.

Within the mirror, she saw that her makeup was done to perfection while he hair was wavy and in a low updo. She frowned, however, noticing one little detail. "What's with mask?" she wondered aloud, because there was a small, laced mask secured on her face, matching the color of her dress. "It's not a masquarade."

"Thought it might be better for him to re-meet you since you're first and second and third and, well, every impression of yourself wasn't so stellar..." Cisco said with a coy smirk. The doctor could only tip her head in understanding. Maybe getting him to know her before revealing who she really was was the best way to go. He'd probably run away from regular Caitlin.

Cisco then clapped his hands, demanding attention. "So, are you ready to go to this ball, Dr. Snow?"

She let herself smile, though her nerves were coiling up in her stomach. "Do I get a carriage made from a pumpkin?" she joked, though with Cisco, she could never be sure what she was going to get.

Her Fairy Godfather merely rolled his eyes again. "I really wish people would stop watching Cinderella," he grumbled. "But no, you couldn't even make it outside your apartment, so I'm sending you there myself," he said, before grabbing her by the arm gently and, within the blink of an eye, transporting the both of them inside the building where the ball was being held.

"Wow…" Caitlin breathed out as she looked down at the party below. A massive chandelier hung above the dance floor, lighting up all the well-dressed people and the delicious food and drinks. Everything looked so sparkly and gorgeous. It was then that she spotted Barry crossing the room, and just like she had suspected, he looked _good_ in his tux. So good.

"So this is where I leave you," Cisco said, causing her to turn to her Fairy Godfather once again. "But there is one condition," he warned. "The magic will wear off at midnight."

Caitlin stared at Cisco with a slack jaw. " _That's_ the rule you decided to keep?!"

He shrugged sheepishly. "I don't make the rules!" he exclaimed. "But seriously, if you're not out of here by midnight, you're going to be standing in the middle of the dance floor in a torn up and soaked gown so...be mindful of the time!" he warned one final time, and before Caitlin could do or say anything further, Cisco vanished into thin air.

"Great," she muttered to herself. So she only had a limited amount of time to buck up the courage to approach Barry. _Wonderful_.

Taking a deep breath, Caitlin walked herself towards the top of the staircase. She paused, trying to find the forensic scientist among the masses again, finally spotting him on the opposite wall by the food. She swallowed down her fear before gently making her way down the stairs while keeping an eye on where Barry stood.

Halfway down the staircase, however, Barry's head turned and his gaze fell on her, watching her descend. His prolonged gaze nearly had Caitlin toppling down the stairs, but somehow she was able to restrain herself from doing so - maybe Cisco magic-ed the shoes too.

Caitlin had never felt her heart beat quite as hard as it was currently beating; she could barely hear the music over the hard thud in her ears. Her hands were also trembling and her mouth suddenly felt so dry.

 _You can do this. You can do this._

Finally stepping off the final step, Caitlin took a champagne glass off a tray from a passing waiter, downing the beverage in one, long sip. She needed the lubricant as well as the liquid courage as she continued her way to Barry.

His eyes grew larger the closer she got to him. His hand scratching the back of his neck, almost as if he was nervous.

"Hello," Caitlin greeted, trying her best to sound upbeat yet sultry.

Barry quickly looked behind him, as if she was talking to someone else. "Me?" he asked surprisingly. "I - I mean, hello," he corrected himself.

Caitlin had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from smiling at how adorable he was being.

"Do - do I know you?" he then asked, studying her. "With the mask," he said, pointing to the object on her face, "it's kinda hard to tell," he admitted. "I just don't want you to be offended if I don't know who you are, like if you're a cop or a cop's significant other or, or even a criminal…"

"A criminal?" she repeated, her lips tilted upwards, amused.

Barry visibly floundered. "I - well - you, you never know…" he said before shrugging meekly.

Caitlin let herself giggle quietly. "Well, I can promise you that I am not a criminal."

His own lips widened into a grin. "Good to know," he said before his eyes flickered to the staircase and then back to her. It hadn't been the first time he had done that either.

"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice, because of course he would be waiting for someone. Barry was such a catch!

His face squinted inwards as he regarded her confusingly.

"I've just noticed that you keep looking at the staircase," she pointed out, turning to look at it too.

"Oh…" Barry let out, his face apologetic. "It's nothing, honestly," he tried to dismiss. Caitlin decided to take his word for it.

A slow song then began playing in the hall, reverberating off the high ceiling. .

"Would you like to dance?" Barry asked her, a tentative smile on his face as he extended his hand out towards her.

Despite knowing she had two left feet, she took his hand, letting him guide her to the middle of the floor, directly under the chandelier. He turned to face her, his hands going to her waist respectively, so she placed hers on his shoulders.

As they began to sway, she could feel Barry's eyes roaming over her. "So honestly, what's with the mask?" he asked.

"Mystery isn't always a bad thing," she said cryptically, keeping her voice smooth.

"I feel like I know you though. Do I? Because you seem so familiar…" he confessed, his eyes boring deeply into her.

Fear spiked in her chest. Caitlin looked downwards, breaking their eye-contact and taking a necessary swallow. She was so afraid that if he found out it was her - the girl who always regarded him so coldly - that he'd laugh at her. "We cross paths occasionally," she opted to say.

He nodded, letting that information sink. "So, what do you like to do when you're not at police balls?"

Caitlin tilted her head to the side, thinking. "I like to cook, read…" she frowned. "Wow, I have no life..."

Barry heartily laughed. "Don't worry," he said, leaning closer to her, "between us, I don't have much of one either," he stated, his breath hitting the shell of her ear, causing a chill to run up her spine. He leaned back, gauging her expression. "All I do is watch Netflix and run."

"Ooh, Netflix, I do that one too," Caitlin said, her grin satisfied.

"Then maybe we could watch Netflix together, and chill?" Barry suggested, purely innocently. But when Caitlin stayed silent, his eyes blew wide at the implication of what he said. "No! Not - not that kind of chill, I just meant, you know, hang out! Not - not the sex chill people often mean when they say 'Netflix and Chill'," he splurted out, trying to backpedal from his mistake. "Not that anyone wouldn't want to sex chill with you, but I don't know you that well yet, or do I? And I - I - I'm sorry."

Caitlin leaned back in his hold to watch him amusingly. "You done?" she asked with a laugh.

Barry let out a heavy breath. "I think, yeah," he said. "I really didn't mean it that way."

"I know," Caitlin told him, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder.

Barry let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "I'm obviously very good at making a fool of myself," he said jestly, "What are you good at?"

"Umm," she said, looking up in thought, but coming up blank. "Definitely not dancing or singing, that's for sure," she let out, laughing nervously.

"You seem to be dancing just fine," Barry said, looking down at their feet gliding back and forth on the floor.

"I'm pretty sure these shoes are magic, otherwise I'd be stepping on your toes," she blurted out, her eyes going wide when she realized she mentioned the magic, but she quickly relaxed when Barry laughed, obviously he didn't think she meant _actual_ magic.

"I'm sure you're not that bad of a singer either," he insisted.

Caitlin shook her head vehemently. "I really can't. I sound like a dying whale."

He snickered. "Oh, now I have to hear this," he claimed. "Please," Barry asked, pouting and giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

She sighed, essentially giving in - she really had no chance against that face. "You're going to regret this," she said before listening to the song playing overhead, waiting for a point when she knew the lyrics. Finally the chorus came around and Caitlin quietly sang along to the first line, her pitch very flat.

Barry's eyes had gone comically wide, his face frozen. "Wow…" he let out, stunned. "You...weren't kidding…"

She swatted him laughingly. "Hey!"

"What?" he playfully shouted back. "You were right. You sound like a dying whale and I totally regret asking you to sing," he said semi-seriously before his lips cracked and a grin overtook his face. "Nah, you weren't that bad."

Caitlin face lit up. "Really?"

"Don't get me wrong," Barry started, "you're still bad. Like, I've never heard a voice sing quite like... _that_ ," he said, his eyes bugging out a bit. "But I like it. On you," he shyly admitted, and she swore his voice dropped just a tad lower and his eyes went a shade darker.

Caitlin blushed.

He paused, stopping their sway to whatever song that had been playing. He raised his one hand, cupping the side of her face. "Can I?" he asked as his fingers brushed over the mask. "I just want to know who you are…"

The young doctor took a deep breath. She then nodded her head, unable to speak any words - too petrified.

Barry took both of his hands to grab at the mask delicately. He began to lift it when someone knocked into Barry, sending the forensic scientist forward, bumping harshly into Caitlin.

"Sorry!" Barry immediately apologized to her, before turning to the person who had run into him. "Dude, can you watch where you're dancing?" he told the guy, who with one lock of his black hair, Caitlin was able to recognize as Cisco.

"My bad," Cisco said to Barry. He then looked over Barry's shoulder at Caitlin. "But I have to grab your date," he said, walking determinedly over to Caitlin. "It's almost midnight," he warned Caitlin.

Her eyes doubled in size. She couldn't have Barry see her with a ripped and sodden dress and racoon eyes from her messed up makeup. "He's right, I'm sorry," she said to Barry apologetically as she started to walk away.

"But wait!" Barry hollered out, grabbing for her hand, his face pained. "Will I see you again?"

Caitlin smiled sadly. "We definitely will..."

Barry picked up on her odd demeanor. "But you're not going to tell me it's you, are you?"

Caitlin bit her lip, willing the tears threatening to fall to hold out for a few more seconds. "I don't think so…" she said, her throat closing up with emotion. "This has been the best night I've had in a long time though, so thank you," she said sincerely, squeezing his hand before letting it drop.

She then walked away, letting Cisco usher her through the crowd, Barry watching her leave the whole way.

Just as Cisco flashed her to her apartment, the magic wore off and she was back in her drags.

"Yeahhh," Cisco drawled out, "aren't you glad I pulled you out when I did?"

"Thanks, Cisco," Caitlin said appreciatively,leaning back against her apartment door listlessly. "I just wish I had more time with Barry," she yearned.

"Looks like you still had a good time. Seems like Barry really liked you," Cisco pointed out. "Why didn't you tell him who you were?"

Caitlin blew a stray hair out of her face, chuckling miserably at herself. "He liked the mystery of me. I'd doubt if he knew it was me," she said, pointing to herself lazily, "that he'd still care."

The Fairy Godfather leaned against the wall next to Caitlin. "I don't know," he said, shrugging casually. "You were still being yourself, and he seemed to dig it - even that torturous singing of yours."

Caitlin turned her head to glare at him.

Cisco smiled sheepishly before continuing. "So, if he can withstand _tha_ t…" he said, trailing off. "Well, then maybe he would still care if he found out it was you."

She let out a deep exhale. "I don't know…" she whispered to herself, closing her eyes. "I'll think about it," she then said, opening her eyes only to see that she was alone in the hallway. Well, except for her neighbor who just got off the elevator and was now staring at her like she was shooting ice from her fingertips. "Goodnight, Mrs. Williams," Caitlin awkwardly said as she slipped into her apartment.

…

 **A Few Days Later**

Felicity popped into Caitlin's office area, bobbing her head up and down to the music that was blaring from the portable speakers she was holding.

"Felicity!" Caitlin yelled over the music. "Can you turn that off?!"

The blonde looked at Caitlin for a minute, turning her head to the side, confused. "What?!" she yelled back.

Caitlin got up, plugging out Felicity's phone from the speaker, making the music come out solely from the cellular device, thus making it manageable to talk over. "I told you to shut it off. I'm trying to work," she said as she took her seat back in front of her computer, starting to work again.

"I'm just trying to get you to loosen up," Felicity admitted. "You've been grouchier than usual."

Caitlin ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, Felicity. I've just been kind of down lately."

"Then let's try to change that," Felicity said, plugging her phone back into the speaker and dragging Caitlin to her feet. "Come on! Dance it out! Sing it out!"

Caitlin stood there, looking at her friend, jumping up and down manically, singing along to the song. "You know I can't dance nor sing, at all," Caitlin said, arms crossed but amused nevertheless at Felicity's antics.

"Oh, stop being a party-pooper," Felicity moaned, taking Caitlin's arms and moving them all different ways, resembling a dance of some sort. "Come on! At least sing! This is like your favorite song!"

Caitlin rolled her eyes, but to appease her friend she then sang along to the last verse, erupting into a fit of giggles as the song finished.

"See?" Felicity spoke. "Don't you kinda feel better now?"

Catching her breath, the bio-engineer reluctantly agreed. "Yes, are you happy now?"

Felicity's face brightened. "Very!"

Sharking her head, Caitlin turned to go back to her desk, but stopped when she noticed a person by the door. Her stomach then plummeted as she her face drained of color, leaving her almost as white as snow. "B-Barry?" she stuttered out. "What are you doing here?

His face was one of shock. "Dropping off another case," he said on autopilot, but it was clear that his mind was on something else. "You're _her_ , aren't you?"

Caitlin swallowed. "I - I don't know what you're talking about," she fibbed.

"The one from the police ball a couple nights ago," Barry clarified, a smug smirk making its way onto his face, like he already knew it was her but he was just playing along with her game.

"You went to the ball?!" Felicity blurted out, but upon realizing how rude she was being, she hesitantly smiled her way out of the office, gesturing for Caitlin to call her later as she left.

Caitlin pinched the bridge of her nose. This is why she could never have a good time. It always backfired on her. "What specifically do you need me to do with this new case?" she asked.

"Nuh uh," he said, walking closer to her. "You're going to answer me. Are you her? The woman in the mask?"

"Do we really have to do this?" Caitlin muttered, her tone begging him to drop it.

"I already know it's you," Barry told her, sitting down on her desk. "But I want to hear you," he said, pointing to her, "say it," he finished, making himself comfortable on her furniture as he waited.

Caitlin lightly snorted, trying to pass of her building anxiety as faux confidence. "And how are you so sure that I am this woman you speak of?"

The forensic scientist's smug smirk was fully formed and mocking her. "Like I said before, 'I've never heard a voice sing quite like... _that_ '," he quoted.

"Well, you also said that you liked it!" she retaliated.

His grin grew, and she felt like slapping herself in the face for giving herself away..

Barry slipped of the desk, opting to stand in front of her. "I do," he admitted softly, looking at her steadily in the eyes. "On you."

Caitlin frowned, confused by his actions. "Aren't you disappointed that I'm the mystery girl?" she wondered.

Barry's face scrunched up, his head recoiling back. "Why would I be disappointed?" he genuinely asked back. "I - I've been trying to muster up enough courage to ask you out since the first time you came to the precinct," he confessed, nervously laughing as he watched her for her reaction.

"Ask me out?" she repeated unbelievably. "Why would you want to ask me out? I'm always so cold to you."

Barry shrugged sheepishly. "I kinda love the little annotations that you write in the corner of your reports. They're witty. and showed you weren't exactly heartless and cold," he said, before gesturing to her. "Not to mention that you are very beautiful."

The bio-engineer blushed beet red. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You were actually the person I was looking for that night, when I kept looking at the staircase," he professed, causing Caitlin's heart to soar. "Joe told me you might be coming, so I kept holding out the hope that you would. I was so disappointed when it looked like you didn't come after all. And when the 'mystery woman' showed up, I really really wanted her to be you, so much that I thought I was hearing things when I heard you sing just now…"

Caitlin cleared her throat, her hands intertwining together anxiously. "So...what do we do now?" she asked.

His eyes lightened, like the emerald color of them were magic itself. "I say we finally go on that date."

Her eyes softened as her lips uncontrollably rose. "I'd like that."

* * *

 **A/N:** The idea just sort of came to me on Saturday, so I was short on time, but I like it enough. Please let me know your thoughts!


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